Bang

I have always known that Sam and Jake play rough. They're boys, they're resilient, they tussle. No harm, no foul, right?

Apparently wrong. Sam's been having a tough time at school the past few weeks. His teachers say he is "quick to be physical." Bryon and I have rewarded, punished, promised and pleaded with him to 'use his words' rather than his hands and feet. Then last week he fell while trying to body slam a larger classmate.

I don't know if it was the bloody head wound or our constant lecturing or the fact that he could tell by the impromptu parent/teacher conference that we meant business but after the fall, he had a couple of really good days. So what did we do? We rewarded him with a trip to to Dave and Buster's, where he can get all hopped up on goofballs and play video games.

If you don't know Dave and Buster's it is essentially an arcade for kids and adults. (Bryon claims to hate it, but I think it's because he really wants to go there alone.) The food is irrelevant because you eat in the middle of the arcade and the kids might as well be eating bugs. This particular night several 40-year-old men were having a Dance Dance Revolution dance-off, complete with headbands and clipboards.

We insisted that everyone eat before we could play games. Sam was mindlessly shoving a cheeseburger in his mouth when he stood up, clenched his teeth and fists and said, "I have GOT to play a gun game."

We should re-think our reward system.